Baby, is this love for real?

        Today I am proud to say that I accomplished two milestones in my healthy lifestyle transition:
1. I have officially lost over 10% of my initial body weight
                               and
2. I ran nearly 4 miles without stopping. 3.92 to be precise

         My best friend asked me the other day to blog my running playlist for new ideas. I have a strange method to my playlist but I will list all of the songs currently included. Since I use the Runkeeper app I normally set it to shuffle and let the app do its thing. However, here are the songs in alphabetical order:

"A-Punk" Vampire Weekend
"Act II, Der Holle Rache Kockt in Meinen Herzen" Mozart, Die Zauberflote
"Alive With th Glory of Love" Say Anything
"Anna Sun" Walk the moon
"Another On Bites the Dust" Glee Cast
"Around my Head" Cage the Elephant
"Beating Heart BAby" Head Automatica
"Breakfast in NYC" Oppenheimer
"Burnin' Up" The Jonas Brothers
"Canned Heat" Jamiroquai
"Caress Me Down" Sublime
"Crawling in the Dark" Hoobastank
"Do You Realize??" The Flaming Lips
"Everybody's Changing" Keane
"Everything" Michael Buble
"Everybody Talks" Neon Trees
"Fingertips" The Urgency
"Flourescent Adolescent" Arctic Monkeys
"The Ghost Inside" Broken Bells
"Hate (I Really Don't Like You)" Plain White T's
"A Heavy Abacus" The Joy Formidable
"Help I'm Alive" Metric
"Hold Me Tight" Evan Rachel Wood
"Honestly" Cartel
"Honey, Honey" Amanda Seyfried
"I Will Wait" Mumford & Sons
"I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Panic! At the Disco
"In One Ear" Cage the Elephant
"Inertiatic ESP" The Mars Volta
"It's My Life/Confessions, Pt. II" Glee Cast
"Live Like You Were Dying" Tim McGraw
"Love Lockdown" Kanye West
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" The Beatles
"Miserable" Lit
"My Friends Over You" New Found Glory
"New Moon Rising" Wolfmother
"Nights On Broadway" The Bee Gees
"Norma Jean Riley" Diamond Rio
"Oh! Darling" Across the Universe Soundtrack
"Pain" Jimmy Eat World
"Pale Bride" The Von Bondies
"Poison" Bel Biv DeVoe
"A Praise Chorus" Jimmy Eat World
"Promises" Nero
"Radioactive" Imagine Dragons
"The Reeling" Passion Pit
"Sail" AWOLNATION
"Scratch Your Name" Noisettes
"Sixteen Saltines" Jack White
"Start Me Up/Livin' On a Prayer" Glee Cast
"Stuck In the Middle With You" Stealers Wheel
"Such Great Heights" The Postal Service
"Suddenly I See" KT Tunstall
"Sweetness" Jimmy Eat World
"Swing" Savage
"Tell Me Something Good" Glee Cast
"To Be Loved" Jackie Wilson
"Too Close" Jackie Wilson
"What You Know" Two Door Cinema Club
"White & Nerdy" Weird Al Yankovic
"Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" Say Anything

     As my playlist changes I'll continue to post different songs. I've noticed so many positive things in the last 2 1/2 months. I just love my life right now. More than I could have imagined a year or so ago. If you were to tell me 10 weeks ago that I would be running almost 4 miles I would've laughed. It gives me pride to know that I'm doing something that a lot of others can't or won't do.

    I've got to get some sleep but I'm looking forward to Wednesday when I WILL run 4 miles.

Clever Title

     Wow! It's been a long time since I've had a chance to sit down and write. I'm happy that I finally have a chance tonight. I've been super busy the last two months or so but it has been totally worth it.
      Let's start with a summary of my day. Of course I had to work in the admissions office today which breezes by on Thursdays. I had producing class which went well and I'm excited to attend our next client meeting tomorrow at 10:30a.m. Today was the second half of the midterm in Intro to Fiction. I think it went well because I'm a talented writer but I'm always unsure of test performance. My gauge is always off. I was so happy to see my BFFF tonight! We hung out and ate dinner which didn't turn out to be super tasty but eh, beggars can't be choosers. She recently decided to start training to run a 5k (with my persuasion). Tonight was her third night and the end of her first week. I was so proud to run next to her.
       As far as running goes I'm just a beginner myself. On July 29th I decided to start my journey into becoming a runner and improving my overall lifestyle. I am proud to say that last Sunday I ran my first 5k race alongside my mom. My goals were:
       1. Run the entire race
       2. Finish in under 45 minutes

       I accomplished both of my goals! My time was 42:43, not the fastest but better than my goal. Running has helped me improve my confidence and I've even lost a few pounds, so that's a nice perk as well.
      I'm pretty exhausted from helping Karen train because I ran a crazy route with a bunch of hills yesterday. I'm headed to bed. More to come.

Culinary Arts Part Deux

    Well I'm a little late but since this past week was my first week of school I have been extremely busy. I was so excited to make my first Weight Watchers recipes especially because they were Indian cuisine. I took photos and documented my experiements.

Tandoori Chicken: 4pts per serving

2 TBSP tandoori spice mix

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup plain, fat-free yogurt

1 TBSP fresh lime juice

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast 

 

I gathered all of my ingredients for the 2 recipes

 




I couldn't find Tandoori Spice mixed so I improvised

 

The improvised spice mix recipe is:
1 TBSP Ginger
2 TSP cumin
1 TSP paprika
1 TSP salt
1/2 TSP pumpkin pie spice

The final ingredients before combining for a 24 hour marinade

 

Ready to nap overnight

 

When I was ready to cook the chicken the next night I turned on the broiler. I covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and placed the coated chicken on the pan. I cooked the chicken for 20 minutes.

 

 

The final results:

 

I served the chicken with South Indian Slow Cooker Lentil Stew (too awful to recommend the recipe) and steamed white rice. The lesson I learned? The Tandoori chicken was delicious but I shouldn't have prepared a whole crock pot full of the lentil stew :(.

 

I suppose everyone has to learn good and bad recipes and on Thursday night i found one of each. I'm excited to continue working to become a better cook and overall I'm happy with how this went. 

 

 





Culinary Arts part 1

        In an effort to further myself as a future domestic goddess I've decided to start blogging about a variety of domestics topics and this includes cooking. Since I am trying to better my eating habits I decided to find a way to indulge in my favorite foods without guilt. This two part blog revolves around one of the newest cuisines I've started to enjoy, Indian food. I found two recipes that I am eager to eat for dinner tomorrow. The first is a classic: tandoori chicken. The second is something I've never tried: southern Indian lentil stew. I'm so excited!
          I've prepped everything and will update with photos tomorrow. :)

Maybe I'm a different breed

        I always love visiting Colorado. It's my second home and I'm completely enamored.  Seeing my family and friends brings joy to my heart and light into my soul. While traveling on the airplane yesterday I overheard some interesting conversation between the passengers seated next to me and it really got me thinking.
         I was seated next to a woman who works for Fed-Ex. She was discussing her job and family life with the male passenger seated next to her. It was your average story, she travels a lot, blah, blah, blah. The part that caught me off guard was the subject of her husband. The male passenger mentioned that the fact that she was returning early would please her husband. She then revealed that while she lives in Colorado Springs, CO her job is a two hour commute. She only sees her husband on weekends and during the week rents an apartment closer to her job. I was baffled.
        Hearing this news was a little shocking. At first I thought man this lady is living the dream: personal time throughout the work week and time with her family/lover on the weekends. Where do I sign up? I'm a big fan of space. I not only desire time alone, for me it is a necessity. Yes I want a lover and a family but balance is key to everything.  However heartless and strange it may seem, to me this woman lives perfection.
         As my evening progressed my thoughts returned to this woman. I realized that I have never been in love with anyone. I believe in true love and I've seen it amongst my friends but it just hasn't happened for me. I know in my heart of hearts, no matter what others may tell me, I will NEVER feel the need to spend 24/7 with my love. It is not how I am programmed. After pondering this woman's life for far longer than I should focus on a stranger I came to the conclusion that it would be painful to only share my life with someone on the weekends.
         Life is about balance. Love is the most important thing in the world. A well balanced life requires a well balanced love. When it comes I will embrace it and it will embrace me and that will be my perfection.

New Beginnings and Old Expectations

        In a not so bold move I'm deciding to revamp my class blog into and actual blog about my life. This makes me a total fan girl and I'm proud to admit it but, my inspiration came from John Watson of BBC Sherlock. This blog is about what makes me tick, what makes me happy, what makes me giggle, cry and explode with rage. The way I see it everyone plays a central role in the universe and this is about discovering where I fit in.
         Obviously writing this blog takes much courage and strength because I'll admit that I can judge others all day long, (something I try my best to avoid) but when looking inward I struggle. I have a couple of goals to achieve through the keeping of this blog. They are as follows (only a start):

*Self love
*Discover new skills and talents
*Maintain stronger relationships with others
*De-stress
*Sharpen my mind, body and soul
*Let go of the negative energy in the universe

          Now I suppose it's time to get to the real stuff. It's been a trying 2 weeks or so. My friends and family have all dedicated ourselves to living healthier lifestyles. It's actually been pretty marvelous to start a strict fitness routine. The first few days were awful but I'm in the third week of training for a 5K and I couldn't be any more excited. I can feel myself returning to a place I once knew very well. It's been a struggle to eat better but I know that I'm not alone. I realize that my goals are important enough to accomplish and that skipping a workout or eating something that my body can't use as fuel will only hold me back and keep me stagnant.
           I'm the first to admit that I struggle with change. Change came very rapidly for me and although I thought I was prepared it turns out I tricked myself. I've worked in the same facility for almost six years (technically five if you include a one year gap). We've had A LOT of staff changes but none as rapid as the most recent. Within a week four people have left. Two went to school and will return eventually. The other two have no plans to return. Another is preparing to leave after she gives birth. I'm an emotional person but I tend to keep it in check. I was surprised when my shift ended yesterday and I got a little teary eyed. It's not like we were all best friends, which used to be the case in previous summers in the aquatics department, but they were all pretty great at their jobs and being forced to let new people into my life is never something I look forward to.
           I am super excited for the next few days. I will be leaving for Colorado tomorrow afternoon and I'm looking forward to visiting with family and friends. It will be great to have a chance to run and swim in the altitude once again. My last year of undergraduate study starts on Tuesday and I couldn't be happier. Change is coming and it's time for me to start embracing it.

        

At Last... 4/25/12

  I'm sad that our time is over. I've learned a lot this semester. I'm excited to go forth into the world and use my Jedi skills for good. Our last lesson summed up business goals. Cost Plus is your best friend. You have to stick to your guns. Why buy the milk when you can have the cow for free? Never do anything for free unless you enjoy it. (giggles) In order to succeed you must diversify. Befriend and accountant and a lawyer. Copyright your shit and join the WGA. People will know you're classy. The two most important things to remember are:

ENJOY YOURSELF & Give to others.

My Gift to You

Cheesy but hey, it's Greenday before they sucked.

How much does it cost to wake up? Calculating my worth. 4/23/12

    You should make $1,000 for every year you've been alive. Congrats to me I've just earned another $1,000. I should set my goal to make $23,000/year. I've got 1000 billable hours per year. How much do I charge? Let's do some math.

$23,000 base salary + $10,000 loading = $33,000
$33,000 + $6,600 business expenses + $5,940 FICA = $45,540
$45,540 - $2277 (5-7% deductions) = $43,263/1000 = $43.26/hr

  The concept of $1,000/year of life is dated. I think I'll just stick with Professor Jenkins' advice and charge no less than $60/hour. More advice from Jenkins:
believe in you
"don't get mad, raise your rate"
contracts for unknown entities
never do business with your $

The ABCs of LLCs 4/20/12

    "The future belongs to those who invent it."-Joel Jenkins. So you want to know how to be safe during a future financial crisis? Create your own business. You'll hopefully have a steady stream of money or access to one in case of job loss, illness, etc.

Steps to take
1. create a business plan and review it every year
2. create a primary business and a few secondary businesses in case your primary business take a hit
3. find a service like CreateSpace to upload videos, books, etc that you've published
4. you must create a savings plan

LLC = Limited Liability Corporation

For the low cost of $225 you can hire a lawyer to make you a legit business in the state of MO

The benefits of becoming an LLC? Your company and not your person becomes liable in case of a lawsuit. You must pay 18% social security taxes but you can deduct anything pertaining to your business. It'll minimize your losses, you'll be legit and you can bid on government contracts and non profits.

So go ahead and gather some business cards. Fill 'em up with your contact info. Get ready to go!

Time to get serious 4/18/12

    The last four classes of the semester are focused on what we can do in the future to be more successful. The first of Professor Jenkins' life lessons is how to create a successful cover letter. Your cover letter is essentially your sales pitch. It's your shot to make a first impression and you'll either be remembered or tossed in the trash with hundreds or even thousands of others.

Structure
*make sure you have the correct address and name of the hiring manager before you begin
*research the company
*use standard business letter format
1. The first paragraph of your letter should be a hook or a story (2-3 sentences)
2. You want? explain the bennies of choosing you
3. I got! You can do this job correctly let them know. Be confident!
4. Buy it now! I will contact you/I look forward to getting the job done for you.
*don't forget to thank them
*include any possible form of contact you have: name, address, phone #, e-mail, website, etc.

FEAR 4/16/12

    Nothing sells quit like fear. In order to use this tactic correctly you must emphasize the negative, strengthen the fear appeal and personalize the message.

4-Part Fear Appeal
1. Introduce the threat. This is essentially upping the stakes with your "Hey, you!"
2. Demonstrate that the audience is at risk. Let them know that there is a decision to be made.
3. Introduce the solution. Give your audience a solution that is doable but not ridiculously simple.
4. Show they audience that they can in fact perform the solution.

    I goggled Willie Horton. I didn't watch any of the ads but I think George H.W. Bush did a great job of demonstrating fear appeal.

McDonald's 4/13/12

     One multi-billion dollar corporation to rule them all. As Professor Jenkins said "McDonald's changes culture." They made it cool to hang out after school in a fast food place. They made it cool to drive thru after you've been partying all night. They even made it cool for retirees to reenter the work force.
     Throughout it's history McDonald's commercials have avoided a few things. You will never see a frown. After all, how can you sell happiness without a frown. From 2000-2003 there was actually an advertising slogan that simply told us to "put a smile on." The restaurants are always illustrated as bright & clean. The one person you will rarely see in a McDonald's ad is mom.
      Now back to that culture thing. McDonald's is considered to be consistent everywhere in the world but depending on where you go you can find different things on the menu. My favorite example comes from India where they do not eat beef. The Maharaja Mac is made with chicken.

sick day 4/11

   Today I was extremely ill. I went to the doctor and discovered I had an inner ear infection and strep throat. I'm really glad that no one else got it. It was excruciating.

visual narrative 4/9/12

   When writing a script for film or television you must keep the visual narrative in mind. Three of the most common shots are WS (wide shot), MS (medium shot), and CU (close-up). The wide shot establishes the scene. It acts as a paintbrush. The medium shot is exposition. In your toolbox of visual narrative it would be compared to a screwdriver. Last but certainly not least is the close-up. This stands as an exclamation in your scene. It is your hammer.

Commercials Part Deux

  More commercials. This particular group focused on new ways to catch the audience's attention. For example, in the commercial for the Pontiac Firebird they chose to use the car from Smokey and the Bandit. It was also interesting to see the series of "trunk monkey" commercials from a used car company. We got our first TV commercial assignment and I was actually pretty excited to complete this assignment. It was fun to imagine what the future will bring.

Commercials Day 1 4/4/12

    We watched several car commercials in class. They ranged from comical to sexy, and utterly ridiculous. My favorite had to be the Goodyear "tire within a tire" commercial. It was directed toward a male audience to illustrate how helpless women are. The aim was to sell a product that would keep them safe after their carelessness.
    Also emphasized in class today were three things that always assist in selling: sex, lifestyles, and good old America!

The Value Zero Line 4/2/12

   Today we discussed the transference of buying power throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. In the beginning the man had all the power. He told the wife when, where and what to buy. Then came WWII. Since men were overseas fighting women were now in charge and they even went to work in factories. Once the men came back there were jobs in factories and G.I. Bills to help with education. Lot's of babies started coming as well and by the 1950's they were teenager. Not wanting to displease their children or deny them opportunity parents spent their money on anything to make their children happy.As time continued teens and young adults began making their own purchasing decisions and relying on their own disposable income. This has continued into today's society as well.
  The value zero line is the line that divides liberal and conservative tendencies throughout life. We generally defy our parents beliefs and tend to be on track with our grandparents. This may be true but I never have an intentions of becoming conservative.

Determining the Audience 3/23/12

    Now that we know how to effectively implement AIDA it's time to write our first ad. Our first ad is geared toward college students. What are we selling? Surprise, surprise it's.... CORN! Didn't quite see that one coming. The task at hand is to determine how to connect to this age group. If you're going to use real people it should be someone around the same age of this particular audience because under 18 like someone 5-10 years older and over 55 desire 10-20 years younger. I think this ad is challenging because it is print and not television or radio.

Ah, AIDA 3/21/12

   AIDA is a strategy used in advertising. "A" stands for attention this serves as the "Hey, you!" Some
examples of the "Hey, you!" are flashing a bright light, shouting, unexpected noises or throwing a water balloon on a potential client/customer. "I" is Interest or, "you want?!" this is the point when the consumer is drawn in to the product. "D" is desire or, "I've got!" You have power because you have the item the person wants and they want it badly at this point. "A" is for action or, "Buy it now!!!!!!!!!!" Because we'll be all sold out of sleeved blankets tomorrow and we'll have moved on to sell you a stuffed animal that doubles as a pillow.

Digging a Bit Deeper 3/19/12

   Today we delved a bit deeper into advertising. We were given the taks to examine three different audiences for corn. The groups were college students, families and retirees. In order to create a better picture we had to use FAB.

Features
starch
vegetable
food
nutrition
water
small

Attributes
on the cob
yellow
white
frozen/bag
popped
sauce
price
size

Benefits
convenient: do what you want
nutrition: live forever
price: power

Now it's time to take a look at the different groups:

College                                                Families                                        Retirees
lazy, poor                                            25-40                                            55-75
lack culinary skills                              central purchasing authority        $$$, life
18-28                                                   budget but....                                normal-life-long
young, partiers                                    more people                                 small appetite
booze                                                  dinner                                           health
busy                                                    come together                               I will make it/security
energy                                                 nutrition
curious                                                happiness
rebelious                                             clip coupons
impulsive                                            staple
need quick, easy food


Now it's time for us to come up with a strategy to sell the corn to these groups

Ugh! 3/16/12

Today class was cancelled. Great except I drove 40 minutes to get there first. At least My attendance counted.

Brands = Lifestyle 3/14/12

     For class today we had to track our brand use for an entire day. I chose to do it on Tuesdays because I thought "Hey I'll be at work so I won't use as many brands." I was completely wrong. From the time I woke up to the time I went to bed I used several more brands than expected. My personal hygeine products ranged from Dove to Garnier Fructis. My food was Special K, Pizza Shoppe and Granite City. Drinks were Sonic, Capri Sun and Price Chopper water. The most surprising find for me was the amount of electronics brands I used. I used HTC, Sprint, HP, Apple, Magnavox, Directv, Orion and Memorex. Geez! I mostly stick to the same brands once I've found something successful but I do really enjoy experimenting so in the next month I could perform this exercise again and find completely different choices. Brands are trying to sell us a lifestyle.

George Carlin - Advertising Lullaby 3/12/12

I thought we could all use a little more George. This is one of my favorite clips. It basically sums up the things we discussed during this class period. What are the different words that advertisers use to lure us in? On top of George's excellent list my own list includes:
-Organic
-Natural
-Sheer
-Cleansing
-Soothing
-Odor Blocking
There are certain things to do for the audience:
*translate for them
*create emotion
*simple
*focus
*concise
Don't do these:
#cliches
#soft language
#double-speak
#betray your audience

Be a good boy or girl and use FAB to sell your product
1. talk about the features - common things among like items
2. talk about the attributes - specific to your item
3. sell the benefits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Selling Your Soul 3/9/12

    You are always writing for your audience and it is all about power. This brings us to the beginning of advertising. Words are extremely potent. With that in mind you can change words to mean what you want them to say even if that is not what they actually mean.
    George Carlin was a word genius. As he used to say "Words are an interest of mine, not a hobby, because hobbies cost money." We watched several clips from his standup routines and they involved "soft language." Soft language is the use of language to protect one from reality. A great example from Carlin was the evolution of the term "shell shock."
     Shell Shock--> Battle Fatigue--> Operational Exhaustion--> Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
   
   This guy is basically my fucking hero! He also mentions in another clip multiple words that advertisers use to sell their products such as "homestyle" and "just like grandma used to make." Which brings us to the question we were supposed to consider.

  Is it possible to advertise without lying? I'll get back to you.

Concrete vs. Abstract/SAFEST 3/7/12

Concrete vs. Abstract = Show vs. Tell

   Today we discovered the unfortunate story of "snowball." It was very effective. Picturing a little boy searching for his dog in the midst of a natural distaster broke my heart and all it took to do that was one word: snowball. Everything is more memorable if we can "see it." This brings me to SAFEST. SAFEST is a list of things that aid in the telling and visualization of a story.
Statistics
Analogies
Facts
Examples
Stories
Testimonials
  Use of these techniques can be very effective. Often times the things on this list are the things that people remember the most.

Hammering it in... 3/5/12

    The first part of class was spent reinforcing the majority of what we've learned so far.
    Story
       Message
        Change
         Why
    Story recipe
    Dialogue
    10 Story Types
    Audience
        Lazy
        They want power and so do you
    Rules of words

    Then we promptly moved forward into the worl of dual-coding, and abstract vs. concrete words. In order for dual-coding to work you must connect two or more of the senses together at the same time. Examples include: fluffy pillow, warm day, loud children etc. The difference between concrete words and abstract words are that concrete words show something i.e. illustrations and abstract words tell something i.e. concepts, -isms, values. Abstract words tend to be very broad.

Creating a Script 3/2/12

    Scripts must be precise. This is why today we went over exactly how to format a script for radio. We reviewed the 3 act structure to get us going. We were given sources to visit for script examples to help us create our radio stories. One of the sources was Radiolovers.com and I found this site very helpful when trying to develop my first act script.
    It was shocking to discover that the average attention span is a mere 400 milliseconds. I would like to think it is more but I realize that sadly this is the truth. "word pictures" are probably the best way to overcome this obstacle but the fact that they have to be short and precise may be a challenge.
    
   

Radio 2/29/12

  Hooray for radio! This isn't exactly a phrase you'd expect to hear in the 21st century. We've come along way from its invention and today we have access to a variety of products and services that have allowed us to replace the radio. Some of the productsa and services replacing the radio are, iPods, itunes, Pandora, audio books and Spotify. The radio used to be everything and has now been reduced to almost nothing. During the early 20th century Orson Welles decided to broadacast H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds." Throughout the broadcast different techniques were used to instill a sense of legitimacy and authenticity. Welles intentionally timed certain pieces to be played while he knew people would be channel surfing.
  We were introduced to our radio assignment which includes an outline and three different three to five minute acts.

2/27/12

   Why?
   Every story needs a motivation. You need to get the point across to the audience in order for them to make a change and for you to gain power. We were scolded about our three little pig sequels for numerous reasons including dialogue problems and not having clear purpose. We also got put into our critique groups. For these groups we have three main goals. The first is to say 3 positive things about the other members' work. Next we need to include constructive comments and most importantly set a time limit for returning our critiques in order to continue forward with out rewrites.

Dialogue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2/24/12

        Dialogue, dialogue and more dialogue. Dialogue is important so we must continue to discuss it. This class focused on ways to improve dialogue. Read your dialogue aloud this makes it easy to detect anything that sounds unnatural. Avoid long passages they don't do any good and the audience will become bored. Give each of your characters a specific voice you can't have them all sounding alike. Get into the character and speak their language don't use someone else's. Your dialogue must serve a purpose. If it does not you must cut it. Give characters habitual phrases but don't overuse slang and avoid stereotypes. Do your research use lingo that would be used in the characters natural setting. Do not use cop lingo for a school teacher or medical terminology for a mechanic.

Barton Fink 2/22/12

   Dialogue contined to be discussed. We watched clips from Barton Fink. In the film John Turturro plays the title character who happens to be a writer. In the clips we viewed he interacted with Charlie Meadows (John Goodman).  Barton says to Charlie that he wants to write a picture about everyday people and their struggles etc., etc., etc. However, when Charlie informs him that he has stories he could tell Barton steamrolls over him and continues to talk about his struggles. We can tell through the dialogue that Barton looks down upon Charlie and his job as an insurance agent.


    In another scene we see the interaction between Barton and the producer for his upcoming film Ben Geisler. From their interaction we find that Geisler could care less about Barton's creativity and is only concerned with making money.

Dialogue Part 1 2/20/12

          Dialogue is very important to the story. It can give details without the use of a lengthy narrative. However, it can also completely sabotage your story by becoming lengthy or even inappropriate. Common mistakes often associated with dialogue are:
-Too much monologuing
-Dialogue sounding too real
-Saying a name too often
-Repetitive facts
-Everyone sounds the same

            Dialogue must be correct for the character. There are many things to consider when writing dialogue for a certain character. They include:
-education
-culture
-accents
-regionalism
-age: physical and maturity level
-race
-gender

       We watched Stanley Kubrock's Full Metal Jacket. The film did a great job of providing the characters with appropriate dialogue.

Pave the Planet 2/17/12

     Today we reviewed the ten different story types. The story types are:
-Romance
-Success/Failure
-The Return
-Crime & Punishment
-Heroic
-Cinderella
-Sacrifice
-Triangle
-Family
-Conversion
     I'd like to note that my favorite kind of stories fall into the Cinderella category. I love a good underdog, and I generally welcome happy endings with open arms.
     We discussed creativity. More specifically we talked about what is known as first level creativity. First level creativity is the term used to describe what we are exposed to day in and day out. When you sit down to write first level creativity comes first. It's the top level that you skim right off the top of the gravy that is your brain. There is a five step process used to avoid this.
      First you must "Hunt & Gather" gather different information from different sources such as: news, religion and even Google. Next "play with it" have fun and don't be afraid to try new things. "Let it stew" step away from your task for awhile. You could take a few hours or a few days to do this but it allows you the chance to view it from a fresh perspective. "Eureka!" this is the point when you've discovered something new and exciting. "Just do it!" don't ever question the validity of your work. Keep with it someone may think it's genius.

2/15/12

I was absent again.

2/10

       Today we further discussed the three little pigs sequel. We went through different scenarios with different potential characters for the story. The characters we discussed included:
 *brick pig
 *straw pig
 *stick pig
 *wolf
 *monkey
 *girl pig
 *mom pig
 *dad pig

         After running though several scenarios we were given our assignment. We should write a story of no more than 500 words. In our story the monkey would serve as the antagonist and the wolf would be the antagonist. The only other requirement was that the story had to involve the wolf being addicted to pork. Anything else was fair game.

2/8/12

Today I was absent but I know that we continued to cover the 3 act structure. We also covered beat sheets and started discussing a sequel to "The Three Little Pigs."

2/6/12

Today we learned about conflict. There are two different sources for conflict: external and internal. External conflict comes from the antagonist. Internal pressure comes from inside of the protagonist. The worst form of pressure is internal because your mind is always aware of it. All conflict is a struggle for some form of power. Fear is the greatest enemy and raisesd the questions "What if?" and "If only..." In order to grow the antagonist must be defeated. If they are not defeated they will come back bigger and stronger. In order to successful the protagonist can not be saved from a higher power or miracle.

Characters Cont'd

During the last few weeks I've learned the following about characters:
*they're essential
*characters communicate the message
*there is a difference between characters and characterization
*make them real and beliveable but not too much so
*unique
*your audience must connect to them
*all characters are looking for power
*find the motivation
*FACT CHECK!!!!!!!!!
*use correct lingo
*integrate proper methods
*Research!
*male your antagonist worthy

Joseph Campbell devised the Hero's Journey model that can be applied to stories from past and present. George Lucas created Star Wars using this model.

The give a shit gauge illustrates that you cannot give a character too many ups and downs before the audience turns on them or tunes out completely.

Spit is Death

Always be aware of your message.

Characters often struggle with the body vs. soul.
The body or "animal self" is lazy and self seeking
The soul is the "spirit self" it focuses on the mind, giving and aspirations

I would much rather read about someone who thinks about others and how his actions affect the rest of the worlod than someone who only cares about people when it can benefit him.

Characters vs. Characterization
characters are revealed once they are put into situations that involve pressure
characterization focuses on the exterior and clichés
with characterization there is no internal development the character is judged mostly by outward appearance and the audience has no insight into what drives them or makes them tick

Building Character 1/30

Characters can be one of two types active or passive. Active characters control the situation and passive characters let the situation control them. In order for the story to remain interesting the character must be active! They need motivation, purpose and a reason to exist.

Characters should follow the Maslow Hierarchy:



Characters can exist above or below the "love" line but when they exist below the love line the audiences prefers them to still think of others no matter what they have experienced.
You must always know what your character is going to do next otherwise you will lose control of your characters.

Finding Original Characters

Finding original characters is difficult. Immediately I start to think of ideas that are based upon characters I have been exposed to throughout my life. Thanks first level creativity! For the first assignment I took Joel's advice and googled interesting jobs. It really helped open my eyes to new characters that I would have never considered or come up with on my own. People want fresh and new not old and played out. That's why movies like Bridesmaids and The Hangover were successful. People hadn't seen those incarnations of characters before. It's also why The Hangover Part II wasn't successful. It was the exact same formula and characters but the setting changed. I still enjoyed it, but it didn't have that same "see it three different times in the theater and still laugh your ass off appeal." Another idea for finding characters is to explore different characters from other cultures. I didn't try that this time but I think it may be helpful in the future.

Kate

Character Sketches

Setting: A Midwestern high school. Present day.

The Jock: He is the captain of at least one sports team and a member of at least three. He is tall, muscular and handsome. He is either a complete moron and a tool, or he is secretly a sensitive soul and intellectual. He has high expectations from his coaches, family and the entire student body.

The Mean Girl: She is rich and entitled. She is tall, slender and considered the most beautiful girl in school. She gets a rush from being in control of others and will destroy anyone that gets in her way.

The Bad Boy: He comes from the wrong side of the tracks. He is a rebel who makes all of the girls swoon. He has a motorcycle and is often seen sporting a leather jacket. Deep down he really just wants to belong.

The Nerdy Girl: She is very intelligent and enjoys doing things that develop her mind and soul. She is beautiful but wears big glasses or braces that often distract people from this fact. She secretly pines for the bad boy and believes that she can change his ways.

Storytime

      Friday was storytime for the class. I had to go first and I was a little embarrassed of my story. It didn't turn out as badly as I thought it would. My favorite stories had to be the ones that the guys told about getting tattoos. Most of the stories were pretty funny and concise. Everyone did a great job and it gave a little insight into their personalities. I think it was a great way for us to practice our storytelling skills and grow closer as a class.

Kate

Story Composition

    Stories can be manufactured and are based on a recipe. That recipe calls for at least two characters, one conflict and one resolution to be successful. The story should also use the language that your audience uses. For example, a group of school children wouldn't have the same language as a group of neurosurgeons. Being concise helps tremendously because people are lazy and not very good at multitasking. One message per story allows your audience to grasp what you want them to understand, learn or change.
     Stories should be:
          *easy to remember
          *engaging
          *easy to understand
          *easy to believe
          *easy to share
          *attention-getting
   Remembering all of these things will help make stories successful and when your stories are successful your power and influence will grow.

Kate

UCA

You see a disheveled woman running down the streets in downtown Kansas City. You assume that she has fallen victim to the "walk of shame." However, this assumption is completely false. The woman was visiting her sick aunt. The power went out overnight and she is running late to a very important interview. She forgot to set the alarm on her cell phone as a safety net and now suffers the consequences. She manages to stop in a gas station bathroom to brush her teeth redo her makeup and fix her hair. She gets to the interview on time and ends up with a follow-up interview and survives for another day.

Kate

Recap

Things that have been discussed 1/9-1/13:
*Power
*Messages= over 5000 messages being forced on the average person every single day
*WIIFM barrier: What's in it for me?
*What is a story?

On Friday we discussed what makes a story. It boils down to a very specific recipe of 3 different ingredients. The ingredients are as follows: a minimum of two characters, at least one conflict and one resolution to go with that conflict.

First level creativity and UCA were also discussed. Basically everyone comes up with the same ideas all the time unless they work past the first few ideas that come to mind, but of course people are often too lazy for that.

Kate

Sex & Food

        Sex and food are two of America's favorite pastimes. Messages about them dominate magazines, commercials, and billboards. They are two things that no normal person can live without although, normal is pretty subjective. For example, there are thousands of nuns and numerous people that have developed eating disorders such as anorexia. Our animal instincts are not the only things that drive us but they do take precedence over anything else one desires. Unless, you fall into one of the aforementioned categories.

Kate

First Class

Wow! This class is going to be great. I'm excited to learn about using my power to influence people. The intros were nice and I'm looking forward to learning more about everyone else. Um... that's about it I guess.

Kate